Poker is a card game with millions of fans. It can be played with one person or many, and the goal is to have the best five-card hand at the end of the betting interval. The game can be fast-paced, and players may bluff in order to force weak hands out of the pot. Poker has many different variations, but all involve cards and chips.

Each player has a set of cards, and each round is started by the player to the left of the dealer. The button, which indicates who deals the next hand, moves around the table clockwise after each deal. Players can cut the deck as often as they like, and a player may also take over the role of dealing from time to time.

When it’s a player’s turn to bet, they can say “open” or similar words, meaning they want to raise the stakes for this round. The other players must either match or raise the bet, or else fold their hands. A player who does not raise cannot win the original pot, but they may still bet in various side pots.

The highest-ranking hand is a royal flush, which consists of a Jack, Queen, King, and Ace of the same suit in sequence. A straight contains five cards of consecutive rank, but from more than one suit. A full house consists of three matching cards of the same rank and two matching cards of another rank, and a pair consists of two matching cards of the same rank plus an unmatched card.